This study was conducted to evaluate the accuracy of a simple model, based on the “drained to equilibrium” concept, for predicting soil water dynamics in the presence of a fluctuating, shallow, transient water table. This concept assumes that soil water is primarily due to capillary rise from the water table. Water table depth varied between 1.8 and 2.3 m (with a mean of 2.0 m) during this study. The model was evaluated under four field conditions: (i) deep soil created by trenching, with tree roots, (ii) deep soil created by trenching, without tree roots, (iii) shallow soil with tree roots, and (iv) shallow soil without tree roots. Collocated water table and soil water content data at the 10-, 20-, 40-, and 60-cm depths were collected in a lychee (